Hinata Hyuga might've changed, but to Neji, it didn't make much of a difference.
Personality shifts didn't mean power upgrades.
Without wasting another second, Neji activated his Byakugan.
As the veins popped around his eyes, he vanished—reappearing right in front of Hinata in a blur. Calm and composed, he gathered chakra into both hands and struck toward her vitals.
Hinata froze for a beat.
Something felt off—Neji's speed... it was slower?
No. It wasn't that he had slowed down. She had gotten faster. Stronger.
In a flash, Hinata whipped her palms upward, aiming straight at his wrists.
Neji's pupils narrowed.
What the hell—how was she so fast?
He was sure he struck first, yet somehow, she beat him to it.
Still, Neji didn't flinch. With a twist of his wrists, he met her attack head-on.
Their chakras collided, the clash forcing them both to slide back half a step.
"She's really not the same girl anymore, huh?" Hiashi Hyuga, watching from a tree nearby, nodded in quiet approval.
To most observers, the clash looked even. But he knew—Hinata had edged it out.
They were now on equal footing.
Something he never thought he'd see.
"Whoa! That was awesome!"
Rock Lee's face lit up with energy.
"No way... Hinata's gotten this strong?" Tenten muttered, wide-eyed.
She knew Neji's style well—relentless, like a machine. If he was forced to stop, it meant trouble.
Second-year Class A students were in complete shock. In their eyes, Neji was practically invincible—unless someone busted out some OP nonsense like Yakumo Kurama's genjutsu.
Hinata, meanwhile, felt a genuine thrill in her chest.
In every past spar, she was overwhelmed start to finish. No chance to fight back.
But now? That weight was gone.
"You've definitely gotten stronger," Neji admitted after a pause.
"Neji-nii... I—"
She started to respond, but he cut her off.
"But you and I—our destinies were set the day we were born."
Neji's voice was flat. "You're not as gifted as I am. No matter how hard you chase, you'll never beat me."
"That's not true," Hinata said quickly. "I used to believe that too, but—"
"There's no point in talking."
He dashed forward again. This time, his palms whipped out with such force that the air itself roared. Chakra pressure became visible, rippling around his strikes.
Yeah—he was going all out.
Hinata's heart tightened. This was the Neji she remembered—the one who made her feel completely powerless.
But then she glanced toward Kitazawa, who stood just beyond the sparring circle. And she remembered everything she trained for over the summer.
Her eyes focused. Her stance firmed.
She met his attack head-on.
Chakra clashed violently. Shockwaves rippled out from every strike, shaking the air between them.
Neji's expression finally cracked.
She blocked it?
Hinata's speed and power were on a whole different level now.
Not just that—her Gentle Fist had evolved. The gaps and flaws from before? Gone. Her form was tight, fluid, controlled.
Neji's gaze hardened. He didn't hold back.
Their bodies blurred. Dozens of palm strikes rang out like sharp claps, echoing in rapid succession.
"They're insane!"
Kiba's eyes were spinning.
He couldn't follow their movements at all—just trails of motion.
"Kitazawa-sensei's training is this broken?"
Kiba couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Neji was a year older, had more talent, unlocked the Byakugan earlier, and learned Gentle Fist first.
And yet... Hinata caught up in just one summer?
"What we're witnessing is a full-on taijutsu showdown of youth!"
Naruto was practically bouncing from excitement.
He wanted in so bad it hurt.
As for how Hinata suddenly got this strong? Eh—he didn't care. It was cool.
A cold aura suddenly swept in.
Sakura turned instinctively and saw Sasuke with his Sharingan already active.
That look on his face... yeah, he definitely sensed trouble.
"Sasuke-kun, who do you think's gonna win?" she asked.
"Hard to say." Sasuke paused, then added, "But I think Hinata has a better shot."
"Why?"
"I mean... Neji's got more experience and stamina," Shino offered.
Sasuke smirked. "Because of these eyes. I can see everything. Hinata's matching him move for move."
"Sharingan is crazy sharp when it comes to combat reads," Shikamaru added. "If Sasuke says so, her chances are high."
"That's a relief."
Ino relaxed a little. Between Neji and her friend Hinata, her heart was clearly with the underdog.
"Sasuke-kun's never wrong!"
Sakura was full-on starry-eyed.
"…Please stop," Sasuke thought, suddenly feeling less sure about everything.
"Don't get too comfortable," Tenten chimed in. "Neji hasn't even shown his real hand yet."
"No way."
Kiba froze.
They're going this hard already and Neji's still holding back?
What kind of monster class am I in?
"I think they're taking a breather," Sasuke muttered. Everyone turned back to the arena.
"You've come a long way," Neji said, stepping back with a deep breath.
'A long way' was putting it mildly—Hinata felt like a completely different person. The fear and self-doubt that once clung to her? Gone.
"Neji-nii."
Hinata spoke calmly. "It was thanks to Kitazawa-sensei... I realized fate isn't absolute. It can change."
"Ridiculous!" Neji scoffed. "Some academy teacher told you that? You're destined to lose. That's not changing."
He lifted his arms, taking the stance for Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Hinata's heart skipped. That pose—it brought back a flood of memories.
But she steadied herself. Kitazawa had trained her for this exact moment.
She wasn't going to lose.
"Is that the Sixty-Four Palms?"
Hiashi, still on the tree branch, narrowed his eyes.
He'd never taken Neji's peeking seriously before, but now...
That technique was a main family secret. And Neji had mastered it through observation?
Unreal.
Hiashi's expression turned serious. He needed to see how far Neji had really come.
Hinata mirrored the stance. Chakra surged within her, changing the very air around her.
Neji flinched slightly.
Still... she was the heir of the main family. Of course she would know the technique.
"Let me show you the gap between us," he said coldly. "Just like the one between branch and main families."
"I'm going to beat you," Hinata replied without flinching. "Fate is just an excuse."
"You don't know anything!" Neji snapped.
"Then teach me."
Hinata launched forward.
She struck with both palms, aiming for two key tenketsu points.
Neji met her with his own strike. Chakra blasted out like a cannon.
Hinata felt herself lock up. She staggered back half a step.
Yeah—she couldn't match his chakra output. She was still younger, after all.
"This is your fate!" Neji roared, unleashing even more power.
Each blow whipped the air into a frenzy.
Hinata managed to block them all, but she was starting to buckle under the pressure.
"Neji's gonna win!"
Tenten's eyes lit up.
"Is Hinata really about to lose?"
Ino's face tensed.
"A one-year difference is still a big gap," Kiba said. "But she's doing amazing. She's this close."
"Not necessarily," Sasuke muttered. He saw it—the edge Neji had came from chakra, not skill.
"Hinata! You've got this!"
Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.
As class monitor, he was duty-bound to support his classmates.
Inspired, the rest of Class 1-A shouted too.
"Pointless!" Neji growled. "Let's finish this!"
His stance shifted. Chakra flowed through his arms like water—fluid, fast.
The first eight strikes of the Sixty-Four Palms came flying out in a blur.
Wait—
Neji's eyes widened.
Hinata blocked all eight?
She grit her teeth—and struck with the ninth and tenth.
Both hit him square in the chest.
"Fate doesn't decide who I am," she said firmly.
Neji stumbled back two steps—and coughed up blood.
"Neji-nii! Are you okay?!"
Hinata panicked. She hadn't expected her attacks to land that hard.
She rushed forward to support him, instinctively glancing toward Kitazawa.
"He's fine," Kitazawa said calmly, placing a hand on Neji's chest and channeling healing chakra.
It looked bad, but it was just a light injury.
Hinata was only six, and she had unconsciously held back.
But for Neji, the emotional blow hit harder than any physical one.
He lost.
To Hinata.
Fair and square.
Why?
He always thought he was more gifted. He awakened his Byakugan earlier, mastered Gentle Fist first, and started training before her. And still lost.
Was Hinata... the true prodigy?
The second-year students looked around in stunned silence.
Losing to Yakumo was one thing—taijutsu just couldn't beat genjutsu.
But Hinata?
Same clan. Same technique. No excuses.
Loss was loss.
"How is this possible?" Tenten whispered.
"They're both monsters... no wonder they're Hyuga prodigies," Lee said with fire in his voice. "I'm doing 30 extra laps today—youth demands effort!"
"She's gotten ridiculously strong over just one summer," Shino said seriously.
Last term, he barely edged out a win against her.
Now? If they fought again, he might get wrecked.
"This is what Kitazawa-sensei's training does," Ino said, stunned.
"Kitazawa-sensei is insane!" Naruto grinned.
He'd learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu over summer. The boost was massive.
Sure, he didn't fully get how crazy it was to be taught an A-rank forbidden jutsu, but he could compare. Mizuki and Iruka? Total jokes compared to Kitazawa.
Shikamaru wanted to complain about how brutal the training was—but the results spoke for themselves.
If he trained for just two more weeks, maybe he could unlock his clan's second secret jutsu.
"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "With Kitazawa-sensei, we're not gonna fall behind."
She'd been training in medical ninjutsu under him all break—she knew firsthand how terrifyingly capable he was.
"Is it really that good?"
Kiba rubbed his chin.
From what he knew, both Naruto and Sakura trained with Kitazawa—and their growth was obvious.
The only one who didn't seem to care was Choji, who was laser-focused on one thing: eating enough to beat Hinata in the next food competition.
Sasuke sighed.
Yeah, training was great. But talent still mattered.
He looked back at Hinata.
Originally, he planned to challenge Neji if he won—to get payback for last semester.
But now that Hinata had won, he couldn't exactly go around fighting losers. That wasn't the Uchiha way.
And honestly... he wasn't sure he'd win anyway.
Before they used the Sixty-Four Palms, he had the edge. Sharingan gave him the read.
But now? He could only follow half of Hinata's moves.
Kitazawa told him to observe more, think deeper, reflect harder.
So he'd wait. One wrong move, and his Sharingan debut would end in disaster—and that wasn't something the Uchiha name could afford.
Back in the tree, Hiashi sat in silence.
He never imagined Neji could actually master the Sixty-Four Palms through sheer observation.
And he was only two strikes behind Hinata—despite her being personally trained by him.
Without a doubt, Neji was just as much a prodigy.
The Uchiha had Itachi and Sasuke. The Hyuga now had Hinata and Neji.
For once, they were evenly matched.
Hiashi remembered Neji's harsh words earlier and muttered to himself, Hizashi... I owe you the truth.
If the Hyuga clan wanted to evolve, Hinata and Neji had to unite.
He had made his decision.
[Current Mission: Help your deskmate Hinata defeat Neji.]
[Reward: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.]
[Mission Complete. Reward Granted.]
A flood of new information poured into Kitazawa's mind.
Rotation—arguably the pinnacle of the Gentle Fist. It created a hemispherical shield from chakra expelled through all tenketsu, spinning like a top, repelling all physical attacks.
Absolute defense?
No such thing—just ask Gaara and his sand.
Still, against most taijutsu fighters, it was a wall.
A true hard counter.
"Everyone, back in line. Class is starting," Kitazawa said. Then glanced at Neji. "Come see me later."
Neji looked up, confused—but nodded and returned to Class A in silence.
"Ne—"
Hinata hesitated. She was happy she won, but seeing Neji so defeated made her feel bad.
"It's alright," Kitazawa said, patting her head. "Leave it to me."
She was still too young to understand what Neji was really going through.
~~~
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